THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #306-310

Check out the cute little signature block; it’s a rare moment of Todd being humble enough to give a positive shout-out to someone other than himself. But just a few issues later, we see Taskmaster standing in a cemetery, saying “Remember me?” among the tombstones of all the artists who came before MacFarlane–or at least all the ones recognized as great: JR JR and his daddy, Ditko, Kane, Frenz, Andru…Yes, it’s possible to read too much into this. Maybe it’s a tribute, but coming from the guy who pretty much decided that he could create his own comics based on ego alone, I’m betting it’s intended more as an announcement: I’m here, and all who came before are wormfood.

Don’t get me wrong: I have mad respect for the creators who left Marvel to it’s overly commercialized, tired near-death in the 1990s. But you can’t deny the egos of MacFarlane and Rob Liefeld.